Pipers add a new flavour to its premium crisp range

The first in four years, Pipers Crisps new flavour, Atlas Mountains Wild Thyme & Rosemary is described as a strong, ‘grown-up’ flavour, which they believe will be a popular premium snack in pubs, clubs and bars.

The herbal flavours are a great match for many spirits, cocktails, soft drinks and beers, so will suit rosemary gin drinkers as well as traditional cask ale enthusiasts. While, gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans, Wild Thyme & Rosemary crisps can also be offered as a standalone snack or as an accompaniment to sandwiches, soups, pasta, salads or a ploughman’s lunch.

Pipers Crisps’ founder Alex Albone explains the story behind the new flavour and the rationale for the company’s famously cautious approach to new product development.

“We’re never in a hurry to launch new flavours and, when we do, we set ourselves very strict criteria. We don’t go in for fashionable or seasonal products. We’ll only consider a new line if it tastes great, has a strong provenance, is relevant to current eating trends and complements our existing range.

“Our new Atlas Mountains Wild Thyme & Rosemary flavour more than meets these criteria. We know that vegetarian eating is a rapidly growing trend, and that Mediterranean herb flavours are increasingly popular across Europe. The uniqueness of this new flavour, together with the strong growth of premium crisps within the burgeoning snacks sector, makes it a must-have item for driving sales revenue and margin.

“As you’d expect from Pipers Crisps, the provenance of our new Atlas Mountains Wild Thyme & Rosemary flavour is exceptional. East of Casablanca, deep in the heartland of Morocco, lie the Atlas Mountains. Here, where over 100,000 acres of herbs grow, local families bid for plots where they can collect the herbs by hand. Each plot is sustainably harvested, with only a small amount collected per week. It’s arduous, labour-intensive work and donkeys are used to carry the herbs off the mountains. Once sun dried, the herbs are ready to produce our great new flavour.”